Undergarments



United States Patent Inventor Ronald L. Blair 2650 W. Belden Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60647 Appl. No. 750,273 Filed Aug 5, 1968 Patented Sept. 1, 1970 UNDERGARMENTS 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 128/542, 128/528,128/555,1 28/579 Int. Cl A4lc 1/00 Field of Search .I. 128/539,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,060,938 10/1962 Kattermann et a1. 128/540 3,177,875 4/1965 Garson 128/540 3,344,793 10/1967 Weintraub 128/547 Primary Examiner-Adele M. Eager AttorneyMax R. Kraus Patented Sept 1, 1976 3,526,229

Patented Sept. 1, 1979 3,526,229

UNDERGARMENTS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There are various garments on the market which in order to provide greater support for the abdomen and the lower back portion of the wearer utilize separate reinforcing means or separate elastic panels in addition to those forming the body of the garment. With the present invention this is eliminated since the panels which form the body of the garment accomplishthe function formerly accomplished by the reinforcing means. This invention accomplishes this function by the use of panels ,having a higher denier elastic on the upper portion of the panels and a lower denier elastic on the lower portion of the panels and the securement of the front of the upper portion of the panels on a bias. Such a construction properly molds and supports the body without the necessity of inner layers of reinforcing bands or panels.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an undergarment in which the panels forming the body of the undergarment is made so that the upper portion of the panels which extend around the abdomen and the upper back portion of the wearer has a higher denier elastic than the lower portion of said panels.

Another object of this invention is to provide an undergarment formed essentially of two main panel sections in which the upper portion has a greater denier than the lower portion and in which the panels are so cut and shaped that the upper back portion extends transversely of the lower back of the wearer, whereas the front portion of the panels which extend across the abdomenare inclined at an angle downwardly towards the center, causing the abdomen to be lifted and flattened.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Inthe drawings: 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention as applied to a .panty girdle as viewed from the front, with the garment in a blown-up position as it would appear on the wearer;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the garment;

FIG. 3 is a back view of the garment expanded as though when worn;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the garment; and

FIG. 5 is a front flat view principally of the two panels forming the body of the undergarment before they are joined together at the rear.

While the invention is shown in connection with a panty girdle it will be understood that its application is not thus limited and it can be applied to an undergarment such as a girdle, corselet and the like.

.The body portion of the garment, as shown, is formed principally of two panels I0 and I0,- which when joined together at 23 in-the front and at the rear will form the body of the undergarment. Each of these two panels is of identical construction and is made of a lycra-spandex material. The upper portion I2 of each panel is formed ofa higher denier elastic than the lower portion designated by the numeral 14. For example, the .upper portion 12 ofthe panel extends from the top line 16 to the line 18 and in this application shall be termed the upper portion ofthe panel. The upper portion I2 is formed of a 560 denier. The lower portion 14 of each of said panels extends from the line I8 to the bottom edge 20 ofthe panel. The lower portion 14 has a lower denier elastic of approximately 420 denier. The upper portion 12 of each panel has greater firmness and greater resistance to elasticity than the lower portion 14 of said panel.

The panels are shaped, cut and joined together so that they extend on a bias with respect to each other and to the mesial front, as best seen in FIG. 5. The two panels are stitched together at the front by a vertical line of stitching. The upper portion 12 of each panel extends at an inclined angle, which can be further best seen by the double headed arrows I3 in FIG. 2. The outer edges 22 of the panels are sewn together by a vertical line of stitching 24 at the rear of the garment, best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 so that the two panels 10 encircle the body of the wearer.

, The upper portion 12 of each panel 10 will extend around the lower back portion of the wearer and will have a stretch transversely and horizontally of the back, as shown by the double headed lines 25 in FIGS. 3 and 4, while the front of the upper portion 12 of said panels would extend diagonally to the mesial front, as shown by the double arrowed lines 13 in FIGS. 1 and 2. The upper portion 12 of each of the panels when joined together to form the front and back of the undergarment would have the upper portion extending around the abdomen and the lower back portion of the wearer and this upper portion is of a higher denier elastic than the lower portions 14 extending around the legs of the wearer. The diagonal inclination of the front of the upper portion 12 of the panels 10 and the higher denier of the panels extend around the abdomen and causes the abdomen to be lifted and flattened. It will be noted that the upper portion 12 of the higher denier elastic material of each panel extends from the top of the undergarment to a point at approximately the femoral crease and is joined at an angle of approximately 45.

To complete the garment an elastic panel 26 which forms the inner leg panel is secured to each of the main panels 10 by two vertical lines of stitching 28 and 30, the vertical stitching 28 being at the front and the stitching 30 being at the rear. The inner leg elastic panel 26 completes the encirclement of each of the legs of the wearer. The inner leg elastic panels 26 may have the same lower denier elastic of approximately 420 denier, similar to the lower portion 14 of the main panels.

A crotch piece 32 is suitably stitched as at 34 to the inner. leg panels as well as to the main panels to complete the pantygirdle. The front of the undergarment may have an insert 36- extending across the front and suitably stitched as at 38 to the front upper edges of the upper portion 12 of the panels I0. A narrow inner elastic band 40 is stitched adjacent the top completely around the inside of the garment.

By virtue of this construction an undergarment may be formed of relatively few panels and without inside panel layers or supports and yet provide for the different degrees of support between the abdomen and the lower back region on the one hand, and the lower portion of the undergarment which encircles the legs on the other hand. The support across the abdomen and back and derriere obviously must be greater than along the thighs and legs and this is accomplished with the present invention without requiring the use of reinforcements of additional elastic bands which are normally used for said purpose. Thus, the main body of the garment can be formed of two panels without the addition of supporting bands or other panels.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim: 1. An undergarment in which the main body of the un-. dergarment is formed of a plurality of panels, each of said panels having an upper portion and a lower portion all integrally formed, with the upper portion to substantially the,

femoral crease line having a higher denier elastic than the lower portion of said panels and with the upper portion of said panels adapted to encircle the abdomen and lower back porv tion of the wearer, with said upper portion having a greater firmness and greater resistance to elasticity than the lower portion.

2. An undergarment as set forth in claim I in which the upper portion of each of said panels forming the front of the undergarment extends at an inclined angle towards the mesial front and in which the upper portion is of approximately 560 denier with the lower portion of approximately 420 denier.

3. An undergarment as set forth in claim 2 in which the rear of the upper portion stretches transversely across the back portion.

4. An undergarment as set forth in claim 1 in which the upper portion of each panel which extends across the front of the undergarment has an elastic stretch which is diagonal or inclined with respect to a horizontal plane.

5. An undergarment as set forth in claim 1 in which the main body of the undergarment is formed of two panels which are sewn together adjacent the front and rear to provide a vertical stitching line centrally of the front and a vertical stitching line extending centrally of the rear.

6. An undergarment as set forth in claim 1 in which another panel is sewn to each of the lower portions of the main panels to complete the portion of the undergarment encircling the thighs of the wearer and in which the elasticity of said other panels is approximately that of the lower denier elastic of the main panel.

7. An undergarment as set forth in claim 1 in which the main body of the undergarment is formed of a pair of panels stitched together at the front and rear, and in which each panel is integrally formed of two different deniers, with the upper portion of the panels which are positioned around the front and back of the wearer having a higher denier than the lower portion of the panels.

8. An undergarment as set forth in claim 7 in which the front upper portion of the panels is inclined at an angle towards the center of the undergarment.

9. An undergarment as set forth in claim 8 in which an inner leg panel is secured to each of the lower portions of the main panels to form the leg encircling portions of the undergarment.

10. An undergarment as set forth in claim 9 in which a crotch piece is secured to the inner leg panels and to the main panels. 

